Manicured lawns, shrubs, and gardens filled with bright colours and warm and cool hues give life to office buildings, shopping centres, retail businesses and industrial
service areas. Well-maintained greenery enlivens people’s spirits.
By adding vivid colours and flowers that bloom during the warmest seasons, you can turn your commercial property into a welcoming spring landscape for your staff, customers, or anyone passing by.
Let’s examine some important tips for creating a space full of colour and charm around your place of business.
Understanding Your Climate Zone
No one can predict the weather, but you can always count on rain in the Lower Mainland! Of course, it takes more than precipitation to make your greenery look fantastic. Other factors include:
- Soil quality
- Sun and shade exposure
- Airflow
- Drainage conditions
- Property size
The landscaping needs of a business owner in downtown Vancouver can differ drastically from the needs of a building in Abbotsford. An experienced property maintenance company can determine the best options for your property.
Choosing Colourful Plants for Spring and Summer
Selecting the appropriate variety of plants can make your vegetation pop with colour. Here’s a list of attractive choices for Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley properties.
- Tulips: These spring flowers are super colourful and come in many shades, including bright reds, soft pinks, and purples.
- Roses: They’re not just pretty; they smell amazing too!
- Lavender: Besides giving off a lovely scent, lavender adds beautiful purple hues.
- Dahlias: If you want something eye-catching, dahlias bloom in many colours and add a touch of elegance to any garden.
- Sunflowers: With their big yellow faces reaching for the sky, sunflowers draw attention to your landscape.
Choosing these plants for your outdoor area will create a vibrant, lively spring landscape that anyone can appreciate.
Tulips
You know it’s springtime in the Lower Mainland when you see the tulips.
Tulips are like the dazzling stars of your garden, lighting up your spring landscape with all sorts of striking colours. You can find them in almost any colour, including bright contrasting hues and more gentle pastels.
There are simple ones, fringed types, and even parrot tulips for those who like something a little more unique.
To see these beauties bloom in spring, remember to plant the bulbs when fall comes around.
Roses
Roses have always been known for their beauty and sophistication, making them an excellent choice for livening up any property. Roses tend to do well in the Vancouver climate.
This versatile choice of perennial comes in so many colours and fragrances that they can either be the main attraction or accents that add attractive spots of colour here and there. You’ve got all sorts to choose from – like the traditional hybrid teas, strong climbers, or bushy shrub roses. Each type brings something special to the table.
When picking out roses for a commercial garden, it’s important to consider when they bloom, how tough they are against disease, and what kind of scents they offer.
Lavender
Lavender isn’t just a pretty perennial in the garden; it’s also practical. With its bright purple flowers and sweet-smelling leaves, lavender adds an elegant vibe to your outdoor space. Beyond looking nice, lavender drives away pests like mosquitoes, flies, and fleas. It loves soaking up the sun in spots where water doesn’t stick around too long.
Dahlias
As the National Flower of Mexico, Dahlias are beloved for their eye-catching two-toned blooms, which make them a terrific pick for any location. They come in many shapes, sizes, and colours (red, yellow, pink, orange, and more). You’ve got everything from the big dinner-plate-sized dahlias to the smaller pompon and cactus types, so there’s something for everyone’s taste.
Sunflowers
Sunflowers are synonymous with happiness and positivity, which explains why there are so many sunflower festivals in B.C. each year.
Sunflowers stand out in the summer, reaching high into the sky with their big yellow petals and flowers. They’re not just yellow; you can also find them in red and orange shades as well.
Designing Your Colourful Spring Landscape
After choosing the perfect plants for your garden, it’s time to map out your plan. The goal isn’t to overwhelm the building’s appearance; ideally, the landscaping should accentuate it with strategically placed shrubs, trees, ground cover, and beautiful-looking flowers.
Colour Schemes
Picking the right colours for your garden is key to making it feel balanced. Here are some ideas on how to choose the right mix:
- Contrasting colours, such as yellow and purple or blue and orange, work well together to create a complementary colour scheme.
- Repeating colours creates a sense of uniformity and organized design.
- You can use different shades of a single colour for a striking monochromatic look.
- Analogous colours are neighbours on the colour wheel, such as purple next to blue or orange close to red. They integrate together nicely to create a harmonious feeling.
Seasoned landscapers understand how to make the outdoors come to life.
Layering
When setting up your flower beds, think vertically. Commercial landscapers often play with different heights to add depth and visual interest.
Trees or shrubs with medium-sized plants in front and herbaceous perennials around the base add a zestful quality to any green area.
A qualified landscaping outfit will ensure the heights and blooming schedules complement the surrounding greenery. If any gaps appear, a qualified landscaper will know how to remedy the situation. Your plant life’s seasonal existence speaks to the pressing need for constant upkeep and care.
Seasonal Rotation
Landscapers and gardeners must remain mindful of plant life cycles and how flowers bloom at different times. Here are some ideas for keeping things bright and lively throughout the year:
- For the start of spring, go with early bloomers like tulips and daffodils that add colour right away to your spring landscape.
- When summer hits, pick flowers that can handle the heat well, such as roses and dahlias; they’ll keep your garden full of life.
- As fall approaches, add plants that flower late into the summer season. This way, you can enjoy a splash of colour even as autumn sets in.
With careful planning, your garden will provide an endless display of beauty for the longest amount of time.
Caring for Your Colourful Plants
Plants require more than occasional watering to ensure their survival. Here are some of the things commercial landscapers do to maintain terrific-looking properties.
- Landscapers rake regularly to get rid of leaves, debris, and unwanted weeds in your flower beds.
- Landscapers cut away dead or damaged branches by pruning, which helps plants look their best.
- Adding mulch around your plants is recommended because it prevents weeds, holds in moisture, and maintains soil temperatures.
- Fertilizer provides the nutrients lawns and plants need for strong growth.
Watering
To keep your spring flowers healthy, it’s obviously important to water them. Landscapers know how much moisture each kind of flower needs. A system that delivers water straight to their roots will help them grow well and bloom beautifully.
Mulching helps soil retain moisture, so you won’t have to water as often.
If your property has a timed sprinkler system, a landscaper can advise on a recommended irrigation schedule.
Fertilizing
Feeding your lawn and flower bed the proper nutrients is essential for keeping them healthy. A fertilizer with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium will help your grass grow. Organic choices are great, too, because they’re good for the soil and the tiny creatures living in it.
Effective fertilizing is all about timing. And if you’re responsible for a commercial property, you’ll likely be doing it more than once during the warmest months (not just in the late spring). Based on the conditions of your property, a professional landscaper can assess the best times to fertilize and the most suitable products to use.
Pruning
Growing is one thing; maintaining your property is another.
Pruning is critical to keeping your garden looking healthy, especially in the spring. It involves trimming away overgrown or unhealthy sections. Preventing unsightly foliage is a never-ending job.
With the right tools and knowledge of where to cut, you can ensure that your flowers and plants look immaculate. Regular pruning also prevents plant diseases and keeps your spring landscape looking tidy all season.
Weed Control
Eliminating invasive plants is vital to keeping your garden in a good state. Weeds take away the water and nutrients that desirable plants depend on. Dandelions, common plantains, and Canadian thistles are familiar problems for many property owners.
Landscapers regularly perform tasks that prevent ugly weeds from taking hold of your property.
- Aerating
- Mulching
- Mowing
- Fertilizing
- Weeding
In extreme cases, soil testing may be necessary to check the soil’s pH levels and fertility.
Discover the Difference of Premium Landscaping Care
People appreciate the appearance of a well-kept green space. For countless businesses across Greater Vancouver, including Langley, Abbotsford, and the rest of the Fraser Valley, CanWest Property Services is the landscaping partner of choice.
Whether you need scheduled lawn care or would like something to enhance your property’s appearance, our landscapists are happy to tackle any property.
Contact CanWest today and leave the appearance and upkeep of your exteriors to the professionals.